Vancouver Canucks prospects of week 4: Utica Comets edition

Full hockey seasons get the party started next week and Vancouver Canucks prospects are finishing up preseason games. We set our focus to all the news and Utica Comets news you need.

The Vancouver Canucks ended their preseason with a whimper last night in Kelowna, falling 4-1 to the Arizona Coyotes. Their season starts on Wednesday, when they host the Calgary Flames, but it already looks like the tank has begun. Winning only once and being outscored 30-11 in seven games. The light at the end of the tunnel is April. But I’m already looking at who we could draft in the 4-6 range. This is isn’t our first rodeo.

As other leagues are finishing their own preseasons, we are getting ever so closer to more “big name” coverage of our prospects. This week wasn’t particularly good for the pool. On the North American side, goaltenders Michael DiPietro and Matthew Thiessen each appeared in a game with a less than stellar performance (DiPietro was pulled from his game allowing four goals on 21 shots). You don’t want to lose the first game of the season, but it’s good that seasons are long.

The WHL has begun its regular season, but defenceman Jett Woo is still out with an injury. Matt Brassard had offseason surgery, but will return to the Oshawa lineup soon. College hockey starts next week, so do not worry. The Quinn Hughes updates are on their way. Since this is another atypical week, I will feature a team again. News is more of the focus of today, but there were a few hockey games packed in there. Let’s hop across the pond to start things off.

Utica Comets

The AHL doesn’t mess around during preseason. Utica plays their first game on October 5th and they just finished their two preseason games. Both were against the Binghamton Devils and the Comets lost them.

Game one wasn’t pretty. Utica was down 2-0 early, but at the start of the second, Reid Boucher broke the goose egg. Jonathan Dahlèn picked up an assist on that one. Unfortunately, I could not find a legal clip of the goal, but you can catch the full game highlights here. Jonah Gadjovich picked up an assist on a late goal scored by Utica. The Comets ultimately lost 4-2.

The second game of the preseason was a lot better. Kole Lind opened the scoring in a high octane first period, tipping a perfect shot. And yes, I have a clip!

Unfortunately, the Comets let the momentum slip away, down 3-1 in the third. Tanner MacMaster stepped up to bring the Comets within one and Lukas Jasek picked up an assist! But as Don Taylor used to say, that would as close as they come. Utica eventually lost 4-2.

The Comets will get reinforcements as the final cuts are made from Vancouver. Evan McEneny is ready to return after he clears waivers. However, Thatcher Demko has a concussion, so Richard Bachman will be relied on for the time being.

This is going to be a fun year for Trent Cull. There is so much youth on the team and I do trust him to develop our players while giving them the best possible environment. He did very well balancing the army of PTO’s to support his thin squad. I wouldn’t brag about Utica’s depth, since the Canucks will have to keep grabbing players as the injuries pile up. Forwards should be okay, but Cull will need to pay close attention to his blue line.

For the prospects in Utica, the stakes are much higher. This is not just a proving ground to hone their skills. It’s their opportunity to separate themselves from the pack and show that they belong in the best league in the world. Not all of them will make it and I think Canucks training camp revealed the the real gap between junior leagues, professional minor leagues and the NHL.

There is a lot of raw talent on this squad and I can’t wait to see who will take that next step. That margin for error is razor thin, but those that will become impact players won’t be staying in Utica for very long.